8 Jun, 2009
90 Year Old Woman Finally Earns High School Diploma!
It is that time of the year again - Graduation! High school and college students all over the country are walking on stage to accept their diploma's after 16 or so years of sitting in class and taking tests. It is their ticket to explore the world before them and figure out what direction their future will take.
Well, how about walking that stage at ripe old age of 90! That's exactly what happended to Eleanor Benz from Lakeview, Illinois. Eleanor left high school in 1936 during her senior year to a job to help make ends meet for her family during the Gread Depression.
Over the course of the next few decades, Eleanor attended night school for typing and bookeeping, raised 15 children, 54 grandchildren, and 37 great-grandchildren. A life well lived, in my humble opinion.
Even after raising and nuturing so many children and grandchildren, Eleanor always felt disappointed that she never finished high school. She contacted her former high school and after reviewing the classes she had taken and the quality of her life, awarded her a high school diploma. At her 90th birthday party, friends and relatives presented her a cap and gown with the year 1936 engraved on the tassel.
What does God say about perseverance?
Read: Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
As Christians, life will not always be easy. We will not always get the best job, go to the best schools, or be liked by everyone around us. But God will always be with us and desires that we be near to Him. God has given us the Holy Spirit who will comfort and guide us that we might grow in patience, persevereance and love. These are vital qualities of the Christian.
As we see in Eleanor's life, it is never too late to accomplish important things in life. We also learn that our lives may not take the exact path that we intended. It is never too late to persevere. It is never too late to trust God. And it is never to late to love. How endearing it is to see a 90 year old woman persevere with all her children and grandchildren during tough times and then finally receive here diploma much later in life. God is never predictable.
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What circumstances in your life have not worked out the way you thought they would?
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Ask the Holy Spirit to give you perseverance and a fresh perspective on your situation.
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Encourage a friend or family member who has been dealt a bad hand and pray for them.
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Ask God to identify some positive and specific steps to help them and their situation.
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